Certified ISR Instructor

Swim Lessons with Mikaela Kinkade

Providing specialized ISR lessons in Verrado and North Surprise, AZ.

Meet your instructor!

Hi, I’m a wife, a mom of two, and a certified ISR instructor with a lifelong passion for water safety. I have been teaching private, one-on-one ISR swim lessons for the past 8 years, helping children develop essential water survival skills in a calm, supportive, and individualized environment.

My connection to ISR began early—I personally went through the ISR program as a child. That experience laid the foundation for my deep respect for the program and its proven, life-saving impact. Becoming a parent only strengthened my commitment to water safety and my desire to help other families feel confident, prepared, and empowered around the water.

I currently teach private swim lessons in Verrado and North Surprise, focusing on meeting each child where they are and tailoring lessons to their unique needs. I understand the immense trust it takes to place your child in someone else’s care, and I take that responsibility to heart. Teaching ISR is more than a job to me—it’s my passion, and it’s an honor to help children gain skills that can truly last a lifetime.

Ready to give your child confidence and safety in the water? I’d love to work with your family—contact me today to schedule lessons.

FAQs

Are swimming lessons for infants and young children safe?

I can’t speak for all swim lessons, but I can tell you ISR is dedicated to safety and maintaining numerous safety protocols to promote safe lessons. Your child's health and well-being are our highest priority and are closely monitored on a daily basis. In addition, your child's medical and developmental history is a mandatory part of the ISR national registration process, all of which is held strictly confidential. All ISR instructors undergo intensive and rigorous training that far exceeds any other training program of this kind. Each ISR instructor is also required to recertify yearly with emphasis on quality control, safety and lesson efficiency. Your education in the area of aquatic safety for your entire family is an integral part of your child's lessons. You will receive access to the "Parent Resource Guide" to inform you about every aspect of swimming and aquatic safety for infants and children. With research, you will find that ISR is not only the safest survival swimming program but also the most effective for teaching infants and young children.

Why don’t parents participate in the water during the lessons?

We do not want the baby to initially associate the water with the love, attention, and affection of the parent while in the water. Also, it takes incredible concentration and objectivity to teach the baby how to respond to an aquatic emergency and our experience shows that parents often find it too difficult to be objective to be effective teachers with their own children in the water. We gladly invite parents to join us in the pool once their child has independent skills to practice at home.

Will my child need additional lessons?

Based on our research, we know that refresher lessons are important because children change so much both cognitively and physically during the first 0-5 years of life. It is important that their water survival skills grow with their bodies. Frequency depends on the child's age, growth rate, skill level and confidence level. The goal of refresher lessons is to help your child adjust his/her new body size and weight to his/her existing skill level. Your instructor will work with your child to help fine-tune his or her aquatic experience to assist with building efficiency, which will result in self-confidence. This is especially important if your child has not been able to practice any appropriate aquatic skill between seasons.

I hear you say your priority is survival skills. Will my child learn to actually swim?

Yes. At ISR, we believe that part of survival for a child who can walk is swimming. Children learn the swim-float-swim sequence so that they could get themselves to safety. The difference in our program is that they will learn swimming AND survival skills and how to be an aquatic problem solver.

Ready to sign up?

I would love to work with you!